Things Change
by santeelove
Summary: After Gabriella's mother receives a job offer,her and her sister are shipped off to live with their distant father.Starting summer in a new place, Gabriella is miserable and refuses to speak to her father.When she meets the neighbour will she change? TxG
1. Welcome to Fort Lauderdale

**Hey Everyone! So this is my first story ever on fanfiction. Im really excited! Ive read so many stories that I am ready to start my own. Hope you like it!**

**disclaimer: I do not own any High School Musical characters. **

**CHAPTER 1**

Gabriella sat in the passenger's seat of her new Toyota Yaris, while mother Maria drove to the destination of her and her 10 year old sister's new home. Gabriella stared out the window, her thoughts roaming freely through her head. A look of sadness was seen upon her face when she saw the sign of the place her father lived Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Grabbing the hood from her sweater, she shrugged it over so it coved her face. Placing earphones in her ears, Gabriella closed her eyes wanting to forget where she was.

Looking at her oldest daughter's sadness, Maria started to regret her decision. After receiving a call from her boss informing her about the job transfer to Toronto a few weeks ago, she decided the girls should spend time with their father. Once the divorce was final, Gabriella and Addison never saw their father. He called weekly to check up on them, Addison always excited for the day he called. She would talk to him for hours at a time, holding on to the bond they had. Yet every time he asked to speak to Gabriella, Addison replied the same answer that she was never around. Gabriella made sure that every time her father called, she organized an outing with her friends to go to the movies or have a sleepover. She refused to talk to him, no matter how many times he pleaded for her to call him back.

When Maria told Gabriella about the job transfer and that she was going to live with her father, she begged and cried saying she wouldn't go, locking herself in her room for 2 days to prove her point. She eventually came out when she felt food was a necessity. Maria bought Gabriella her first car to try to smooth things over with the move. Gabriella had taken one glance at it and turned away seeing what her mother was trying to do.

Turning a sharp left, Maria stopped the engine in front of a red bungalow. She took a look at the image; it looked very similar to the house back in New York. Big wide windows, small rooftop and a gravel stone driveway. Unbuckling her seat belt, Maria woke her daughters up stating that they had arrived. Addison was quickly out of the car helping her mother with the bags while Gabriella stayed in the car, taking a look around her surroundings. Checking her phone she saw that she had no new messages. She sighed looking up seeing her mother standing beside her sister hugging a medium sized man, other well known as their father. Gabriella got out of the car, quickly grabbing her bags making her way up the driveway hoping she would go unseen.

"Gabriella! You've grown so much. How are you?" a manly voice spoke.

Gabriella walked straight past the man, not bothering to respond to his question.

Making her way up the porch she turned around and spoke "Where's my room?"

"Last door on the right" he murmured.

Gabriella turned around once again, entering the house. It was small, cozy she admitted. She walked down the narrow hallway to the very last closed door. Opening the door, she was welcomed with the bright sunlight from the window. Dropping her bags, she placed her hand above her eyes moving swiftly across the room to pull the blinds down. She took a look around the room; blue wallpaper surrounded the walls with a tint of purple near the door. There stood a bed with white sheets and a wooden dresser across from it. Gabriella took her book out of her bag and laid on the bed. She opened her book to where her bookmark was placed and began to read.

"Gabi?" a soft voice spoke.

Gabriella looked up to see Addison standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"What do you want Addy?" she spat.

"Mom told me to give you this" she threw a set of keys to Gabriella, catching them effortlessly. "Dads also is asking if you want to come with us to drive mom to the airport"

"No I don't" replied Gabriella.

Addison quickly left the doorway and went to tell her father. Gabriella continued to read hearing the roaring of an engine, the sound getting quieter in the distance signalling they were gone. She put her book down and stood up deciding to get some fresh air. She quickly changed into her favourite jean shorts and blue tank top putting on her white sandals.

Gabriella walked out the back door noticing the golden sands and blue waters. She took off her sandals, letting her toes sink into the sand. She walked along the path and let her feet touch the water. Smiling she realized how nice the water felt. Gabriella walked down the beach to notice the small dock at the end of the lot. She strolled towards it, stepping onto the wooden platform. Gabriella took a seat off the edge letting her long tanned legs grace the waters. Looking down into the water she noticed tiny fish swimming around in bunches around her toes. Moving her feet quickly, they managed to disappear.

"What are you doing? This is private property."

Gabriella jumped turning around. A teenaged boy stood at the end of the dock wearing an orange Hollister t-shirt and dark blue jean shorts. His brown shaggy hair drooped over his left eye enhancing is piercing blue eyes. Confusion was shown upon his face.

"I didn't realize it belonged to anyone" Gabriella scolded getting up making her way towards the end of the dock.

"Well it does. My dad made it a few years ago" the boy replied somewhat proud of its existence.

"Okay, sorry then." Gabriella responded sarcastically walking back towards the house.

"Do you always talk like that to strangers?" the boy asked.

"Like what?"

"With such anger in your voice" The boy called as she became more distant.

Gabriella shook her head continuing to walk toward the house she supposed is called home.

**Well thats the end of the first chapter! **

**Review and tell me what you think :) **


	2. The Carnival

**Hey! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It really touches my heart when people say such beautiful things. ****Also feel free to speak your mind and tell me what you think, good and bad :) If you were wondering why the chapters are short it's because I'm just exploring my writing talents and how I want this story to go. Eventually the chapters will be longer. I've been recently updating my ipod and I'm wondering whats the newest songs you've been listening to lately or ones you just can't get out of your head? PM me :) id love to hear it. Theres one that I have been listening to on repeat for the past few days... its Who Says by Selena Gomez. Ive honestly never been a fan of her music (maybe because shes dating Justin Bieber ;) haha), but this song is catchy and I LOVE the meaning. So go listen to it if you havent heard it already! Heres the second chapter! **

**CHAPTER 2**

Currently sitting around the table, this was the first time Gabriella and Addison were having dinner with their father since he left four years ago. It was quiet; the only sound heard was the silver cutlery hitting the plates. Carlos Montez tried to start a conversation but after the usual how's school, it seemed to go back to the same awkward silence.

"So Gabi, your mother tells me you still play guitar. There's a town talent show that happens here at the end of the summer. You should sign up." Carlos stated.

"I don't play anymore" Gabriella murmured staring at her plate which had not been touched.

"Why not?" Carlos questioned.

"I only played guitar in New York" Gabriella replied looking up.

"Gabi, just because you moved here doesn't mean you have to stop playing. You're so talented and an amazing guitarist" Carlos explained taking a sip from his water.

"How would you know? You haven't seen me for the past four years. The last thing you should be doing is telling me what to do." Gabriella stood up and made her way towards her room.

"Gabi, don't walk away when I'm talking to you" he said sternly.

"You taught me how!" she screamed shutting the door in the process.

Gabriella collapsed on her bed, shoving her face into the pillows. She didn't know whether to scream or cry. When her father left, Gabriella was only fourteen. She was forced to grow up and look after her 6 year old sister at the time, when her mother would cry and lock herself in her room. Hearing the sobs from her mother's room, Addison would always ask what was wrong; Gabriella would tell her she was sad, knowing she was too young to understand.

Gabriella got up and noticed the silence in the house. She opened the door and made her way to the kitchen to see no one around. All the food was put away and everything was put back in place. Gabriella frowned, picking up a yellow sticky note on the table she saw scribbled with writing.

_Gabi, _

_There's a big carnival going on down at the end of the beach. It's a beginning of the summer party. _

_The whole neighbourhood usually goes. Addy and I went, you should come we'd like to see you there. _

_There's a lot of stuff going on. _

_Love, Dad_

Gabriella went back to her room to get changed. Walking into her closet, she threw on a gray zip up hoodie and kept the jean shorts on. She tied her Nike kicks up and decided to leave her natural dark brown curls to cascade down her face.

Exiting from the front door, Gabriella decided to walk instead of taking her car. It's a nice night she thought, might as well make use of it. It wasn't that hard to find the carnival, after looking up at the gigantic Farris wheel, she knew exactly where it was. She walked down the road to where the entrance was. Carlos was right; the whole neighbourhood really was there. There were all sorts of people ranging from babies in strollers to grandmas and grandpas. There were a whole bunch of booths with food and games. Gabriella smiled, this was her first carnival. They never had any of these things back in New York; the town was way too busy to even organize an event like this. Gabriella walked through the booths looking at what each had to offer.

"Gabi!" a voice shouted.

Gabriella turned around. "Addy! Why are you here by yourself? Where's Dad?"

"He wanted me to come look for you, to see if you actually came. He wants to introduce you to some people" Addy explained.

"No! No! No! Please tell him you didn't see me. I'll give you $5" Gabriella pleaded holding out the bill.

"Hmm... Okay deal" Addy smirked, grabbing the bill and running away.

Shaking her head smiling, Gabriella walked towards a red and white booth to discover they were selling her favourite drink; Peach & Mango Bubble Tea. She immediately ordered and paid the cashier receiving her drink minutes later. She gladly took it, walking towards a bench parallel to where she was standing. While she tried to poke a hole in the lid with her straw, a football came flying knocking the drink out of her hands onto the ground in front of her. Glancing at the direction the ball was thrown from, was a group of teenage boys laughing. With a look of disgust, Gabriella leaned down to grab the drink, but was met with another hand.

"Hey I'm sorry that was my friend, Chad's fault. He was trying to throw me the ball but has terrible aim. Let me buy you a new drink" the person said picking up the drink and throwing it in the trash.

Gabriella glanced up and noticed it was the boy from the beach. "No thanks" she said walking away.

"Wait! You're the girl that was on my dock earlier. I knew you looked familiar" the boy recalled.

Gabriella turned around and spoke uninterested "Cool, now tell your friend to work on his aim before he kills someone"

"Finally someone who agrees with me! I've been trying to tell him that all year, yet he still doesn't listen to me." The boy said smirking at the brunette.

"Well I'm going to go..." Gabriella said making her way to leave. The boy caught her hand and gently spun her around.

"Stay, at least let me buy you your drink. I feel guilty. Then you could leave and be on your way" demanded the blue eyed boy.

Gabriella took a look around her and then at the boy, giving in to his charm "Okay, I'll stay till I get my drink and then I'm outta here."

They both walked toward the booth, side by side and joined the long line up to order. They stood in silence for the first ten minutes, sending a few glances at each other here and there. When the boy realized the line wasn't going to be moving anytime soon, he decided to start a conversation with this girl that he had managed to see twice in the same day."

"So, where are you from?"

"How do you know I'm not from around here?" she replied sourly.

"You were sitting on my dock this morning. Anyone from around here would have known it was mine. Also you seem to always be alone. New comers don't usually come in bunches" he said looking down on the girl.

"Well aren't you welcoming" Gabriella spoke sarcastically; a tint of sadness could be heard upon her voice.

"I'm just being honest; my mom says that's my greatest quality" he replied cheekily, flashing his pearly white teeth.

"Mommas boy I see?" she said teasingly.

"Eh, say what you want. You still didn't answer my question" the boy smiled, finding her company rather enjoyable.

"New York" she said.

"Ah New Yorker, I see. Why'd you move down here? Is it too cold to tan? He joked.

"What's with all the questions? Also don't even try to insult New York, it's an amazing place." She said seriously.

"Hey, I was just kiddi—"

"Hello! May I take your order?" a medium sized blonde lady wearing a white hat asked cheerful.

Realizing they had reached the front of the line, the boy was about to speak when another voice cut him off.

"You know what I changed my mind, I'm not thirsty. Sorry about that." Gabriella told the lady sincerely, before turning around to walk away.

"So you're just going to walk away again" the boy called clearly frustrated with her stubbornness.

Gabriella continued to walk, showing no interest to what he had to say.

"You know, your never going to make friends here if your keep pushing people away!" he shouted. Turning around he kicked the nearest trash can and yelled out in anger, before making his back to his friends.

Gabriella stopped where she was and took in what he said. Forcing herself not to turn back, once again she walked away trying to make the words he spoke fade away.

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	3. Officially Meeting Troy Bolton

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late upload. My birthday was on the 25th, I turned 16 so I've been preety busy. I will most likely be uploading on weekends due to school work and such I need to focus on during the week. I got a fewer reviews last time, that's fine I get it, I'm a new writer. But please keep reviewing I currently have another storyline idea that I will hopefully be pursing soon. So stay tuned! Enjoy :) **

**CHAPTER 3**

Waking up to a bright light shining in her eyes was not Gabriella's ideal wake up call.

She instantly slammed a pillow over her face to shield the light away and reached over blindly to her bedside table, grabbing her cell phone. Turning her face to the side, she took a look at her phone. 8:23 AM, she groaned slowly getting up from her bed making her way towards the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Gabriella decided to go for a run wanting to make sure she was gone before anyone woke up. Walking over to her closet, she rummaged through her hangers snatching a bright yellow tank top with blue booty cut shorts with a white borderline. Crouching down, she grabbed her pair of gray running shoes with neon pink laces, lacing them up tucking the ends into her shoes. Gabriella walked over to her dresser, taking a look at her outfit in the mirror. Pulling her dark brown locks into a high pony tail she took her pink iPod and rushed out of the room eager to get out. Walking down the hall, the smell of fresh toast and crispy bacon filled her nostrils noting that her early escape plan had failed. Gabriella walked into the kitchen towards the cabinets hoping to get a granola bar and run out.

"Good morning Gabi! How was your sleep?" Carlos Montez asked tilting the newspaper he held.

"Not that great, you should really put some blinds up to cover that window in my room" she muttered searching for the box of granola bars.

"Oh yes, I've been meaning to put some blinds over that. Did you end up coming to the carnival yesterday? I didn't see you and I told Addy to go search around but she said she couldn't find you" Carlos said putting away his newspaper.

Gabriella took a swift look at Addison who just smiled and winked. Finding the granola bar box she pulled the box out and closed the cabinets. "Uh yeah I was there actually. I took a look at the booths and stuff".

"Oh okay. So how did you like it? Make any friends?" Carlos questioned.

"Sorry to break this conversation, but I'm going for a run. I'll see you later"

With that she ate the granola bar and rushed out the door, not hearing a clear response. Turning on her iPod and plugging her earphones in her ears, she realized she had no idea where she was going. She started to run on the path that she took toward the carnival, timing her strides. Taking a look at her iPod she scrolled through her songs clicking Hit The Lights by Jay Sean. She started on a steady pace getting lost in the beat of the music.

_Baby hold it,  
And let me holla at you baby for a moment  
And if you with it, I'm with it, keep it rolling  
And we'll be dancing and drinking until the morning  
Until the morning_

Starters going off  
It's so hot there's girls just taking all their clothes off  
So take a picture of this moment with your iPhone  
Cause I don't want to forget tonight, night, night, night  
Put your lighters in the air  
Let em burn into the night  
And let everybody know  
That your with it and you're ready to go

So hit the lights  
Hit the lights  
Hit the lights  
Tonight, tonight  
So Hit the lights  
Hit the lights

When Gabriella arrived at the location of the carnival the night before she noticed everything was gone. It's like the event didn't even happen. The dock was cleared and the sand was clean. The smell of the ocean waters filled the air. She decided to run past and turn the corner onto an uphill street. The street was empty, no cars no people. Considering the number of fashion stores along the road, you'd think it would be overfilled with people. Gabriella ran up the road, her muscles clenching and her feet moved fast. She felt the sweat trickle down her forehead while almost reaching the end. Once there, she noticed the street ended and turned another left towards the next road.

Gabriella finally found her way back to the house realizing she ran in a circle. Opening the front door, she untied her shoes slipping them off, carrying them towards her room. She walked in and threw her shoes in her closet. She took her earphones out and placed her iPod on her dresser. Stripping down she changed into her green polka dot bikini, wanting to take advantage of the sun and get a tan. Gabriella reached into her drawer and grabbed the silver reflective aviator sunglasses she absolutely adored, snatched her pink towel and make her way out towards the backyard. She took a look around the house and heard the sound of music coming from the garage along with the clashing of useful tools.

Gabriella thought to herself "I guess dad's working on the cars again"

Before arriving in Florida, Addison had explained how dad loved cars and how he was trying to make his own business.

Gabriella walked onto the beach pulling the nearest lounge chair she saw, about a foot away from the water. She placed her towel on the chair, making sure there were no crinkles. She sat down relaxing her entire body, tired of the run earlier. Looking down at her body, she started to fix her purple star belly button ring. She laid her head back and closed her eyes loving the sun shine on her body.

Opening her eyes, Gabriella realized she had fallen asleep. She got up and did a quick yawn and stretch. Then looking at her body she noticed she had defiantly got a tan, not as dark as she wanted but hey! beggars can't be choosers, as her mother use to tell her. The weather had gotten a lot warmer and the waves became mellower. Feeling her need to get a drink, she made her way towards the house taking her hair out for her pony tail letting it run down her shoulders. She let her sunglasses rest on the top of her head while she opened the sliding back door. She walked towards the fridge to snatch a plastic water bottle, hearing the sound of the television on. Curious to who was watching, she walked into the rec room to see her dad and a boy wearing a blue baseball cap sitting on the couch, talking about the events happening on the TV.

"I thought you were in the garage?" Gabriella asked confusion leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes I was actually, Troy here helped me finish one of the cars I had been working on, so we came in for a few coolers" Carlos turned around to talk to his daughter.

"Troy?" Gabriella said walking into the room surprised that the boy from the carnival was in her home.

"Yes, Gabriella this is Troy, our next door neighbour, Troy this is my eldest daughter Gabriella" Carlos introduced.

Troy stood up and walked towards Gabriella. After looking from her eyes down her body and up, clearly snickering he stuck out his hand "It's nice to meet you Gabriella" emphasizing her name.

Gabriella looked at Troy following where his eyes were trailing realizing she was still in her swim suit. Looking at him with disgust she shook his hand and muttered "You too"

"Gabriella, can you please cover up? We have a guest" Carlos informed.

"Uh yeah, I'll go do that" Gabriella said making her way out of the room not before seeing a seductive smile and wink from the guest Troy Bolton.

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**Tell me what you think :)**


	4. Welcome BBQ

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not uploading in a while. It's just I am recieving less and less reviews. I know I only had 3 chapters out but seeing only 3 or 4 people review... it's kinda sad. My inspiration to write gets put off. So tell me if you want me to continue or an opinions about what you want in the story to happen. Thanks! ENJOYTHE NEXT CHAPTER :) **

** CHAPTER 4**

"Dad I'm not going"

"Oh yes you are Gabriella"

Later that day after hearing the arrival of Carlos's daughters, the Bolton's had decided to invite the family over for a 'welcome BBQ'. Carlos was delighted and accepted the invitation promising that he and his daughters would be there. After revealing the event to the girls, one was less than pleased.

"Dad, I'd rather stay home. There's a Cake Boss marathon tonight. I would have more fun sitting here on the couch watching people decorate cakes then be over there" Gabriella exclaimed resting her feet on the table in front of her getting comfortable.

"I'm sure the Bolton's have a television you could use. Besides you should get to know the neighbours. I have gotten very close to the Bolton's since I've been living here; I feel it's important for you and your sister to become friends with them" Carlos stated.

"I'd rather stay here. Why don't you and Addison just go? I'm sure Addy will have tons of fun" Gabriella said convincingly.

"Gabriella, we are ALL going. Now go get dressed, the Bolton's are expecting us in half an hour" Carlos ordered.

"Dad!"

"Gabriella!" Carlos gave her a stern look.

"UGH... fuck my life" Gabriella screamed in frustration, storming off towards her room.

"LANGUAGE!" Carlos yelled, receiving a loud bang from the swinging door in response.

Moving towards her closet she took a look at all her clothes. Spotting a yellow strapless sun dress, she pulled it off the hanger. It had a bow on the back and flower designs printed in black that reached mid-thigh. After getting undressed she gently pulled the fabric up her toned legs and rested the neckline above her breasts. Zipping the dress up, Gabriella took a look at herself in the mirror. She decided to go with a silver heart necklace and a ring that spelled out love on her 4 left fingers. Grabbing her pink flip-flops and the recent novel she had been reading, she made her way out of the room. Noticing the two figures by the door she made her way over.

"Are you ready?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, whatever"

The Montez's walked toward the neighbour's house, Carlos leading with Addison and Gabriella short behind. They walked up to the porch the loud music from the backyard filled their ears and rang the doorbell. A tall lady with light brown hair in her mid-40s opened the door. The smile on her face was evidently huge when she embraced Carlos.

"It's so nice to see you Carlos. I was afraid you weren't going to come" She smiled. "Who's this cutie pie?" She motioned towards Addison.

"I'm Addison" she introduced.

"Ahh, you're just the cutest thing. I'm Mrs. Bolton but you could just call me Lucille" she stated smiling. Turning to face Gabriella she smiled "You must be Gabriella. Your father has told me so much about you"

"Yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you" Gabriella smiled genuinely liking the lady.

"Alright, well all the kids are in the backyard. Oh Carlos, come with me I'd like to show you the pasta I was making" Lucille said leading Carlos toward the kitchen.

Gabriella and Addison stood awkwardly before moving towards the sound of the music. They passed a few doors and reached a white doorway with a sliding screen window. Gabriella looked to her left and saw two leather couches and a plasma screen television resting against the wall. As tempted as Gabriella seemed, she opened the door to the backyard feeling bad if she left her sister.

Once entering the door, the music seemed to get louder. There were tons of children of all ages. The girls walked toward the ginormous hammock and took a seat. Gabriella took a look around to see little kids playing in the sand with toys and some running around playing a game of tag. There were also older teenage boys playing a game of basketball on the pavement platform. Gabriella opened her novel and started to read not interested in her surroundings.

"Hi!" a soft high voice greeted.

Gabriella looked up to see a tiny little girl standing in front of her. She had a rounded face with long blonde hair with short bangs. She had her hands folded on her neatly polished light blue dress. Gabriella smiled. "Hello, what's your name?"

"I'm Abby! What's your name?" she exclaimed pointing and sitting beside Addison.

"I'm Addy" Addison muttered softly, her shyness showing.

"Do you want to play tag with us?" Abby asked hopeful.

Addison looked at Gabriella for approval. Gabriella nodded her head. Addison and Abby jumped off the hammock and ran far away in the sand. She smiled and the boy in a button down short sleeve plaid shirt caught her eye. He was taking a shot; the ball swiftly went through the netting effortlessly. Gabriella looked down when he saw that she was staring. He walked over to his friends saying something before walking towards her.

"Hey, you okay?" he greeted.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" Gabriella responded looking up at him.

"You just seemed lonely, sitting here by yourself" Troy said.

"I'm just reading" Gabriella stated.

"Come play with us" Troy smiled motioning towards the court.

Gabriella looked at the court then at him and shook her head. "I can't play basketball and I'm wearing a dress"

"It's a pretty dress too, come on" Troy said dragging Gabriella by her hands leading her towards the court. Gabriella tried to resist but was unsuccessful letting Troy lead her.

"Guys, this is Gabriella, Gabriella this is Chad, Jason and Ryan" Troy introduced letting go of her hands.

Gabriella smiled saying a quiet hello.

"So let's play 3 on 2. Ryan, Gabriella and I vs. Chad and Jason" Troy instructed towards the group.

They all agreed except Gabriella getting into position.

"Troy, I can't play" She exclaimed.

"Alright, Game on!" Troy screamed.

"TROY!" Gabriella called as he ran toward the hoop with the ball, shooting it off the backboard going straight in.

The game went on with Gabriella on the side lines most of the time, not getting passed too thankfully. She watched the boys play, all very skilled at the sport. A voice knocked her out of her train of thought.

"Gabriella!" Troy called passing her the ball.

Gabriella caught the ball and just looked at it. She looked back at him uncertain as to what to do.

"Shoot!" he encouraged smiling.

She bit her lip and looked towards the basket. She bent her knees and released the ball closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the ending result. When she heard the sound of netting, she opened her eyes confused. The boys stood there with their mouths open wide, shocked.

"Wow. You're great! I never knew you could shoot like that!" Troy walked over to her shocked.

"I actually can't. That was a lucky shot" Gabriella explained trying to sound convincingly.

"Right…" Troy smiled sarcastically.

"Kids, Time to eat!" Lucille shouted.

All the little kids ran to the table with all the food on it. Gabriella noticed that all the adults had come outside and were talking around the gazebo. Gabriella walked over to the table with Troy and his friends grabbing a hot dog and can of Pepsi. She then looked around to see her dad motioning her to come meet him. Gabriella walked eating her hotdog. She had managed to eat half of it before her reaching her father.

"Gabriella, I'd like you to meet Mr. Bolton. He's a teacher and coach at the local high school" Carlos introduced.

"Way to make me sound old Carlos, Gabriella call me Jack. It's nice to finally meet you" the man said sticking his hand out.

Gabriella smiled and shook Jack's hand.

Carlos and Jack started to talk about the recent basketball game. Gabriella rolled her eyes and walked back to where all the kids were, noticing that Troy, Chad, Jason and Ryan had left. She sighed realizing how enjoyable their company had been. Gabriella walked toward the beach admiring the beautiful sunset. She took off her flip flops and walked onto the deck. She set her can of Pepsi beside her and sat at the edge. Letting her feet rest in the cold water she smiled. She sat there for half an hour before it got dark.

"Hey, what are you doing here by yourself?" a voice asked concerned.

Gabriella jumped startled and turned around to see the outline of Troy in the dark night. "I-I-I-I was j-just looking at the sunset. I couldn't find you after dinner so I just came here" she stuttered.

"Yeah, the boys and I ended up going inside. Your sister was looking for you" Troy said sitting down beside her.

"Oh Addy? What did you say?" Gabriella questioned.

"I said I didn't know and got up to come look for you" Troy looked out into the distance. "My sister seemed to be having so much fun with Addison, she even asked my mom if they can have a sleepover" he chuckled.

Gabriella giggled. "Abby is your sister? She's so sweet!"

"Yeah, she's a little princess. She can be a pain at times though" Troy said.

"All kids are like that. I tend to think adults are worse" Gabriella muttered.

"Carlos told me about how you never wanted to speak to him when he called you in New York. He also said how you didn't want to come see him. You know he's a very nice man. He loves you and your sister so much. Just give him a chance to be a great father" Troy explained calmly.

"You know nothing Troy" Gabriella stated standing up.

Troy grabbed her arm. "Gabriella, why do you feel so much hate towards him? Please tell me, maybe I can help"

"Help? There's no way you can help. You just cannot relate so don't act like you know me" Gabriella's voice rose trying to get out of Troy's grasp.

"Tell me the story; let me get to know you Gabriella!" Troy stood up and held her shoulders tightly preventing her to leave.

"TROY! Stop it, let go!" Gabriella screamed struggling to get out of his embrace.

Gabriella continued to struggle with all the energy she possessed in her petite body, letting all the anger and pain she had felt come out. Troy had to give her credit; she was not that one to give up. She eventually stopped, tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks.

"Please let me go. It's hard to talk about" she sniffed wiping her eyes.

"Okay, come talk to me when you're ready okay" Troy comforted letting her go.

Gabriella nodded and made her way back towards the Bolton household wiping the leftover tears. Troy looked back at her, his eyes never leaving her figure. Troy got to know Gabriella tonight, the good and bad. There was still a mystery about her and her past that he intended on figuring out. He quickly followed her back to the house.

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	5. Babysitting

_**Hey everyone! This is going to be a short chapter so I'm saying sorry in advance. Please ignore all the grammer mistakes, my spell check has not been working. Chapter 6 is going to be very interesting and drama filled so stay tune! Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy xo. **_

**CHAPTER 5**

Gabriella stayed in her room all day trying her best to avoid Troy as long as possible. He was over at the house again working on a new car project with Carlos. After the conversation with Troy that night, Gabriella felt ashamed. She had an emotional break down in front of someone she barely knew. He was so kind and seemed to care about her though just meeting. The fact that she shunned him down multiple times made her think about how ungreatful she had become. The embarresment kept her from going out of her room door, eliminating any possible chance of seeing Troy again.

The sound of a knock on her bedroom door took Gabriella out of her thoughts, suddenly on alert of an unwanted visitor.

"Who is it? Gabriella yelled.

"Gabi?" a soft noise spoke slowly opening the door.

"Addy, what do you want?" Gabriella asked trying to deciefer what her little sister was thinking.

"Can you take Abby and I to the park around the corner? Dad says we can't go by ourselves." Addison spoke. When seeing the look on Gabriella's face she pleaded "Please Gabi?"

Unable to resist her sisters pleading, Gabriella nodded "Okay, i'll be out in a few"

Addison let out a cheer and walked out of the room closing the door running to tell Abby the good news.

Gabriella chuckled while getting up. Well I guess my plan to stay in my room is not going to work out she thought. She walked over to her desk putting on her New York Yankees baseball cap and slipping her iPod into her blue hoodie. Walking out she found the little girls waiting by the door.

"Alright im ready, lets go" Gabriella muttered following the girls out the door.

The three of them walked down a rocky path towards the park at the end of the street. Gabriella could'nt help but smile watching the two girls run towards the play jungle in the sand. She walked toward the swing set overlooking the view of the beach. She sat down, pulling her feet back and forth. Closing her eyes she let the wind hit her face, realaxing upon its touch. The sound of screaming and giggling could be heard. Gabriella turned around to see Abby being hoisted up upon a boy's shoulders. With concern she got up and walked over to them.

"Put me down!" Abby cried out, giggling.

"Nope your mine now!" The boy exclaimed lifting her even higher.

Abby screamed making the boy laugh even more. Gabriella smiled realizing it was the guy from the BBQ the other night, Chad. Abby pulled his afro-like hair making him screech in pain placing her in the sand. Abby ran away with Addison by her side while Chad sent threats of catching them. Gabriella giggled causing Chad to turn and look at her.

"Oh look, it's Ms Basketball Star!" Chad smiled.

"I'm telling you it was just a lucky shot!" Gabriella explained.

"Sure it was" Chad sarcastically replied the hint of playfulness could be heard in his voice. " We will just have to shoot hoops again to see"

"Deal. What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"I was just on my daily run and I saw Abby so I decided to suprise her" he said looking around to see the two girls hiding behind the slides. "I think it worked out well, don't cha think?"

Gabriella giggled "Yeah I heard the screaming and got worried. Im suppose to keep these little rascals safe"

"Ah, your stuck on babysitting duty. Where's Troy? He's usually the one to be looking after Abby." Chad questioned.

"Oh he's working with Carlos on another car" Gabriella informed rolling her eyes at the thought.

"Oh man, Again? I swear that guy is going to be a mechanic when he gets older. Hopefully he's still coming tonight." he said hopeful.

"What's tonight?" Gabriella asked.

"Troy didnt tell you?" Chad looked at her shocked. "I'm having a party tonight at my house, the whole school is coming. You should come too"

"That's okay, I don't think I should" Gabriella looked, away shaking her head.

"Please Gabriella? It will be really fun" Chad pleaded.

"But I wont know anyone there.."

"You'll know me, Ryan, Jason and Troy. Plus, I want you to meet Taylor, I've already told her about you" Chad said persuasivly.

"Okay, I'll think about it" Gabriella muttered.

"I'm going to continue with my run but, you better come or else I'm going to have to come get you myself" Chad spoke walking towards the path.

"Chad is that a threat I hear?" Gabriella asked speaking louder as the distance between them got longer.

"It's a promise." Chad said sending a wink. He started his run within seconds away from Gabriella's sight.

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	6. The Party

**CHAPTER 6**

Applying last minute makeup touches, Gabriella again questioned herself if she was making the right decision to go to Chad's party. Ever since he invited her to come, Gabriella had been weighing the pros and cons of the situation. After analyzing, it seemed there were more cons than pros. What happens if no one likes her? Or if people think that she's a freak. Being at a party with people she doesn't know wasn't her ideal scene. Then again, the person she knows the most was the person she's been trying so hard to avoid.

In the late afternoon, Carlos suggested that they should have a movie night, just the two of them while Addison had a sleepover at the Bolton's house. Gabriella automatically refused explaining her plans about Troy's friend Chad's party. Carlos immediately encouraged Gabriella to go saying that it was a great opportunity to meet new people. She rolled her eyes confirming that she was going to that party, even if she didn't want to go. It was better than staying home with Carlos having some 'fun' quality bonding time as he thought it would be.

Looking over herself one more time, she smoothened her royal blue strapless casual mini dress and slipped on open toe silver flats. Grabbing her IPhone, she made her way to the garage where Carlos was.

"Dad, I'm going now. Do you know where Chad's place is?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, it's a little farther down the street number 87. Are you taking your car?" Carlos questioned.

"No, I'll just walk. See you later, don't wait up" she said walking out of the garage and onto the gravel road.

Gabriella walked down the road smiling occasionally to neighbours walking their dogs. It was nice and cool; no jacket needed which was something she could not say in New York. As she furthered down the street, she saw a huge line of cars on both sides of the road.

"Wow, this is going to be a big party" Gabriella thought as she continued to walk.

Once nearing the house, she saw the door swung right open people walking in and out of the house. Most people mingling around the front door holding red cups full of liquor.

"Well, here goes nothing" Gabriella took a deep breath and walked towards the front door. She could hear the loud music being played from what she assumed was the main room. As she walked in, people took a few glances at her wondering who she was. Although the house was fairly big, the place was crowded. Chad was right the whole school must be here. Gabriella stood awkwardly near the stairs wondering what she should do. There was no way she would be able to find any of the boys she knew by herself. As she stood and looked around, a group of three girls approached her.

"Hey, are you looking for someone?" the blond one spoke. She was dressed in a high rise skirt with a peach coloured tank top. Her straight hair was tied in a side ponytail, her bangs parted to the side able to see her emerald eyes. She held a genuine smile.

"Uhm yes, I can't seem to find anyone I know though" Gabriella spoke embarrassed.

"We can help you find them. I'm Sophie and this Cara and Taylor" she insisted pointing to her friends beside her. They wore similar outfits with different hairstyles.

"Thank you. I'm Gabriella"

"That's such a pretty name. Are you new around town? I've never seen you before" Sophie questioned curiously.

"Yeah, my sister and I are staying for the summer with my dad" Gabriella explained.

"Ah! You're going to have so much fun here!" she exclaimed. "I'll take you around town and show you the hot spots. Don't worry hun" Sophie patted Gabi's shoulder smiling.

Gabriella giggled and nodded.

"Follow me. I want to introduce you to some of my friends." Sophie said grabbing Gabriella's hand and walking towards the kitchen. Gabriella looked around her surroundings to notice the other two girls were no longer around. She shrugged her shoulders and continued to follow Sophie. In the kitchen there were many people standing around the counter that Gabi assumed was the bar for the night. There was a lot of chatter and from the look of things many tipsy people so early in the night. Sophie called over a tall boy that had golden skin and brown spiked hair with broad shoulders. They embraced and the boy looked up at Gabriella and smiled.

"Soph, who's this?" the boy nodded towards Gabriella.

"Eric this is Gabriella, she's new in town." Sophie introduced.

Gabriella stuck her hand out to be polite. Eric laughed and reached for a hug. "You don't need to be formal. That's cute though" he said sending a wink.

Gabriella blushed.

"Let me get you ladies a drink. I'll be back" Eric headed towards the bar.

Sophie turned to Gabriella with the widest smile on her face. "I think you two would be a cute couple."

"Sophie! I don't even know him" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Get to know him" Sophie stated sending a wink.

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully. A person bumped into Gabriella causing her to step back. She looked up to see who it was and was glad she finally found the person she was looking for.

"CHAD!"

"Gabriella! You're here" he said giving her a hug. "I thought you wouldn't come and would force me to come and get you"

Gabriella chuckled and turned around to see Eric coming back with their drinks. He handed her the drink and she thanked him.

"Eric my man! How are ya?" Chad greeted doing a handshake.

"I'm good bro, great party by the way. It looks like everyone's having a blast!" Eric said.

"Well excuse us boys, Gabi and I are going to go dance" Sophie said holding Gabi's hand and leading her to the dance floor.

"We are?" Gabriella questioned.

"Of course. A good party always involves dancing" Sophie stated.

Gabriella and Sophie danced to many different songs. As the night went on the amount of alcohol intake in Gabriella raised and found herself becoming slightly drunk. She wasn't the only one intoxicated at the party of course but it seemed that many of the East High bad boys took advantage of this, one of them being Jake Crawford. He managed to reel Gabriella in as they danced on the dance floor for a few songs.

"Come upstairs with me" Jake insisted dragging Gabriella with him to the stairs.

"What? W-Why?" Gabriella stuttered.

"I want to do something. It will be quick" Jake said moving fast.

"Huh? N-no, let go!" Gabriella stopped moving causing Jake to get angry tightening his grasp on her.

"Ow! That h-hurts, S-S-STOP!" Gabriella cried trying to pull away from his grasp.

"Jake, she said stop" spoke a boy from the top of the stairs grabbing onto his arm.

"Bolton, get out of my way, stay out of this" Jake hissed pushing the boy aside.

Troy swung his arm hitting Jake in the jaw causing him to fall to the ground releasing his hold on Gabriella. Gabriella collapsed to the floor the alcohol intake and shock taking over her. Troy looked around and noticed a crowd had formed.

"Gabriella, are you okay?" Troy spoke shaking her.

Gabriella muttered words that went unheard. Troy picked her up and headed out the door hoping she will be alright.

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	7. The Aftermath

**CHAPTER 7**

Gabriella opened her eyes to notice that she was in an unfamiliar place. She quickly stood up into a sitting position but instantly regretted the action when feeling the throbbing pain in her head. She moaned in pain and laid back down onto her pillow. From what she could see, the room was decorated in red and white with lots of trophy's and metals hanging along the walls. All the furniture seemed to be made from wood and white blinds covered the windows. Ignoring the throbbing pain, she got out of the bed and sat on it. Taking the water bottle off the night stand she swallowed the clear liquid satisfying her thirst. Once finishing with the plastic, she placed it back down on the night stand noticing a framed picture of two people. She picked it up to get a closer look and fumbled when realizing the figures in the frame. She instantly stood up seeing how she was still in her attire from the night before. She quickly walked out of the room and stumbled down the stairs trying to keep her balance. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Gabriella observed that the front door was located on the other side of the house. She quietly made her way towards the door past the living room not noticing the figures sitting in the room.

"Gabriella" a female voice called.

Gabriella stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and slowly walked back towards the living room. She peaked in the room to see Jack and Lucille Bolton sitting on one of the sofas and Troy sitting on the other.

"Busted..." Gabriella thought. "Hello" she croaked.

"Are you feeling okay sweetheart?" Lucille questioned

"Honestly my head is throbbing" Gabriella spoke raising her hand to rest across her forehead.

"Wait here, I'll go grab you a few Advil's from the cupboard" Lucille insisted getting up from her seat and disappearing from the room.

"So Gabriella, I heard you had a fun night" Jack spoke sarcastically with a playful tone.

Gabriella nodded slightly covering her face causing Jack to laugh. She looked across at Troy to see him look away once making eye contact. Her eyes wandered to the floor embarrassed.

"Here you go Gabriella" Lucille came back in the room dropping the pills in Gabriella's palm.

"Thank you! I should go… thanks again" Gabriella muttered walking towards the door. She went out onto the patio and observed that she was not wearing shoes. Unable to summon up the courage to go back inside she decided to walk home next door bare footed.

Carlo's car was parked in the driveway stating that he was home. Gabriella strolled towards the door carefully turning the door handle to realize it was open. She closed the door behind her and quickly strutted to her room successfully going unnoticed. She changed out of her dress from the night before and slipped on a pair of grey sweat pants along with a light purple tank. She walked into the bathroom and fixed her messy hair into a side low bun and washed the makeup off her face.

A knock was heard from the door. "Gabriella, we need to talk"

Opening the bathroom door, Gabriella was met with Carlos Montez. He motioned her to follow him towards the kitchen table.

"Take a seat Gabriella" Carlos ordered taking a seat himself.

"Where's Addy?" Gabriella questioned sitting down slowly.

"She's at the Bolton's" Carlos answered quietly. His voice suddenly changed the anger evidently seen "What the hell happened last night?"

Gabriella looked down unable to think of an answer.

"I waited up for you, worried sick when you were not home by 12am. I was about to go look for you myself when I received a call from Jack Bolton saying how you were drunk and were incapable of walking home by yourself, his son having to carry you back to their house" Carlos shook his head "Do you know how much danger you put yourself in? I can't believe you were so irresponsible, I thought I could trust you. You're supposed to be a role model to Addison. She looks up to you Gabriella." Carlos took a deep breath "From now on, you are not allowed to go out. You must stay inside and help around the house when needed. If you want to keep acting like a child, I'll just have to treat you like one"

Gabriella stood up slamming her fists on the table. "I am responsible! Who do you think took care of Addy when mom locked herself in her room? Who do you think you are? You talk about being responsible yet you ran away from your responsibilities. You are such a hypocrite! I hate you!" Gabriella finished running to the door and slipping on her flip flops.

"Where do you think you're going? You don't leave when someone is talking to you" Carlos screamed hearing the door slam in response.

Gabriella ran as fast as she could not sure in what direction she was going. In that moment, she did not care as long as she was far away from where she was supposed to call home. She ventured down the road and eventually met the golden sands. It was a cloudy cool day resulting in the beach being empty. She slipped off her flip flops and walked towards the water. She decided to sit down a little farther than the edge so the water would just hit her calf's not caring about her sweatpants being soaked. Unable to keep the tears in, she let them cascade down her face. She continued to cry letting her head rest in the sand.

"Hey Carlos" Troy spoke closing the front door behind him. After Gabriella left earlier that morning, Troy had found her shoes and phone lying around his room. He decided to return the items knowing she would eventually need them. He walked in the house and noticed Carlos standing anxiously around the phone.

"Troy. She ran away." Carlos muttered.

"What do you mean she ran away?" Troy questioned confused.

"We were talking about last night and she got upset and ran away. It's almost 6pm. She left 5 hours ago and she's not back yet" Carlos explained.

"Wow, she's a handful. I'll go find her for you Carlos" Troy stated dropping the shoes and keeping the cell phone with him. He whipped out his keys and got in his car. He started the engine and drove out of the driveway. Where can she be? Troy thought. Truth is Troy had grown very fondly of Gabriella. Although he had only known her for a few days, he felt there was something about her that he could not let go. She had a mystery behind her that he was determined to find out. He drove down the road and went towards the shops to see no sign of Gabriella around. He continued to look around town losing hope in finding her. He decided to stop and park by the beach to think of more places, where she could be. He looked up to notice a figure lying in the sand. Out of instinct he got out of the car and ran towards the figure. The closer he got the more familiar the person looked.

"Gabriella" he called softly.

He saw no movement but chose to take a seat beside her. He noticed her hands were covering her eyes and her pants were drenched from the oceans tide. The tank top she wore was now filled with sand. He gently shook her and felt her body react to his touch. She moved her hands away from her face and that's when Troy noticed her swollen eyes. She opened her eyes and instantly jumped when noticing the presence beside.

"What are you doing here?" She spoke now sitting in an upright position.

"You forgot your phone and shoes at my house" he muttered taking the phone out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Gabriella wiped her eyes and gently took the phone from his grasp muttering thanks in return. There was an awkward silence.

"What happened last night? All I remember is that Sophie introduced me to Eric, I saw Chad and then I was dancing and everything becomes a blur after that." Gabriella spoke slowly trying to remember.

Troy took a deep breath thinking carefully about what he was about to say. "Do you remember a guy named Jake?" A confused expression appeared on her face cueing for Troy to continue. "Well he goes to my school and were not exactly the best of friends"

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked unclear of what he was saying.

"Jake is not the best company to have around. But anyways, you were a little rowdy last night and he wanted to take advantage of this" Troy muttered.

"Wait… WHAT?" Gabriella asked shocked, eyes bulging.

"Don't worry, I took care of it. He didn't get that far" Troy reassured.

"Oh thank god" Gabriella relaxed. "Note to self: Never get drunk again"

Troy chuckled. "Intoxication happens to everyone"

"Wait… so how did I end up in your bed this morning?" Gabriella questioned.

"I carried you home yesterday. You were so drunk you couldn't walk. I figured it was better for you to stay at my house then wake up your dad" Troy reasoned.

"Ah I see. He apparently got a call anyways from your dad and he was so 'worried' about me" Gabriella spoke sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"You know believe it or not he cares about you Ella" Troy shared.

Gabriella stared at him shocked about what he said.

"What?"

"You called me Ella" Gabriella spoke a smile creeping upon her face.

"Oh I'm sorry" Troy apologized looking away from her.

She reached out with her hand, turning his chin towards her "No, no I like it… but thank you for last night. Who knows what would have happened to me if you weren't there" Gabriella thanked sincerely.

"It was the right thing to do. I couldn't just leave you" Looking at the sky he realized how late it was. "It's late, we should get going. I'll drive you home" he said standing up from his position in the sand.

Gabriella nodded and got up dusting the sand off her clothes.

"Wow, you're a mess" Troy chuckled helping her shake off the sand.

"Hey!" Gabriella defended playfully slapping his shoulder.

They walked together to Troy's car both thinking about the days that are yet to come.

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